Did my container grasses croak?

donn_(7b-8a)April 22, 2005

I potted up some seed-grown Miscanthus in containers last year, and they flourished. So far this year, there is no live growth, although the same grass in the ground has been throwing out new shoots for a few weeks. The containers spent the winter outside, on a boardwalk beside the canal, and were subject to the full effect of winter's cold, wind and snow.

Plants in containers suffer from winter much more so than those in the ground. There is not the insulating factor that the snow covered ground provides.

Donn, what I would be tempted to do would be to tip over the pot and gently check out the root system. If it is soft and brown, then the prognosis is not good.

It is a good thing that you have some safe and sound in the ground. Next winter, find a spot in the garden, take the grass from the container, and plunk it into the saved spot. The following spring, you can dig it up, and put it back into the container ( or at least some of it). Any extra can be potted up and taken to the local horticultural society for their spring sales.

Donn,
I have seven or eight large clumps of Morning Light. One of them is way back in the yard, hiding an unused utility box. It is in the lowest and darkest and wettest part of the yard.
The other plants, in full sun, are about four feet high. The utility Miscanthus is just showing green right now!!
Don't give up, and, in a few weeks, after you've given up, let me know if I can send you some to replace it...!
Sissy

Jroot...I think I'll just wait and see what's going to happen. The containers are pretty big, and tipping out the contents would be a chore. If they don't show in the next month or 2, I'll dump them.

Sissy..thanks for the offer, and I may take you up on a swap later, but I have 8 other clumps of this Miscanthus in the ground, and doing fine. In addition, I've got hundreds of plugs, of over 50 varieties of OG growing in coldframes.

The two clumps in question have a good 3" of soil around the sides of the rootmass, and one of the containers is a hollowed out Locust stump that's 2" thick. I'll be surprised if our fairly mild winter killed them, but we'll see.